A paddleboarding tour organiser has been jailed for 10 years and six months following the deaths of four people who got into difficulty on a river in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Nerys Bethan Lloyd, a former police officer and owner of Salty Dog Co Ltd, pleaded guilty to four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
On 30 October 2021, Paul O’Dwyer, 42, Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40, were swept over a weir in the River Cleddau during a stand-up paddleboarding tour.
The conditions were described as “extremely hazardous.” Mr O’Dwyer initially made it out of the water but went back in to try and save others. Ms Powell died in hospital six days later.
The Crown Prosecution Service said an expert concluded the trip “should not have taken place.” Paddleboarding specialist Andrew Gratwick wrote that the weir was “an extremely serious risk which should have been very obvious to any competent instructor.”
At Swansea Crown Court, Mrs Justice Stacey told Lloyd the weir was “an obvious and extreme danger” and that she had shown a “blatant disregard” for life.
“This was not a momentary lapse,” the judge said. “Your whole approach to health and safety was lax.”
The court heard there were Met Office weather warnings and a flood alert from Natural Resources Wales at the time.
The judge noted that video footage of the incident was “too distressing to be shown in court.” After reviewing it, she said, “I am sure that you made no attempt to investigate or paddle to the steps which were visible from the river.”
She also said Lloyd and Mr O’Dwyer lacked “a suitable qualification for this kind of activity” and that “the final decisions to take part” were Lloyd’s responsibility.
Prosecutor Mark Watson KC acknowledged that Mr O’Dwyer “bears a share of the responsibility,” but said Lloyd was “primarily responsible for the needless loss of life.”
The court heard Haverfordwest’s weir becomes “extremely dangerous” during high water levels. One bystander, who had lived by the River Cleddau for 35 years, said he couldn’t recall “seeing the river ever flowing so strongly.”
“All seven participants had been completely taken by surprise by the presence of the weir,” Mr Watson said. “In a chaotic episode of some 20 seconds, they were all carried over the weir crest by the strong current.”
A voice message left by Lloyd on the day of the incident said: “It’s my fault 100%. I probably shouldn’t have gone on the water.” She was later overheard in an ambulance saying she was “going to jail for this.”
In court, her lawyer David Elias KC read a statement from Lloyd in which she said she accepted “full blame.” He noted she had no previous convictions, was of good character, had tried to help the victims, and expressed remorse.
Mrs Justice Stacey paid tribute to the victims’ families, calling their statements “moving” and saying they “barely scratch the surface” of the pain endured.
She also praised the courage of Joel Williams, a bystander who recovered Andrea Powell from the river and began CPR, calling it an act of “incredible bravery.”
